Democrats are targeting more than a dozen Republican-held seats in the Virginia House of Delegates this year.
Lucky 13 is the target number of seats this year for Democrats, who are hoping to flip the districts from red to blue. Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says the battleground is suburban.
"They're often in outer ring suburban communities, particularly in the Richmond and Hampton Roads area where elections are won and lost in Virginia. These are contested spaces, these outer ring suburban counties," Farnsworth says. "They're not rural. They're not really urban. But they are places where both parties often can be competitive."
The list includes four seats that already lean slightly toward the Democrats. At the other extreme is the seat currently held by Republican incumbent Delegate Chris Obenshain. His challenger is Democrat Lily Franklin, who is running in a seat where Republicans have an eight-point advantage.
"It's a district that Donald Trump very narrowly won. But she does seem like the type of candidate who would put in the legwork, knock on doors, make as many calls as she has to," says J. Miles Coleman at the University of Virginia. "And she came very close last time."
Two years ago, Obenshain won the district by less than one percent of the vote. Democrats are hoping this year, they'll be able to flip that seat and a dozen more.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
